Antiochus was not inclined to follow this suggestion either, and, as Hannibal had foreseen, the Romans secured the help of King Philip.
Meanwhile, in 193 B.C., envoys from Rome arrived at the court of Antiochus. The king was absent, mourning the loss of a son whom, so ran the report, he had himself poisoned from jealousy. But Hannibal was there, and he and the Romans appeared to be so friendly that the courtiers grew suspicious, and by their tales made the king also suspect the good faith of the Carthaginian.
When Antiochus returned to his court Hannibal did all he could to allay his suspicions, telling him of the vow he had taken when a child—the vow of undying hatred to Rome.
It is said that one of the Roman ambassadors was Scipio Africanus, and that one day as he chatted with Hannibal he asked him who he thought was the greatest general that had ever lived.
‘Alexander,’ said Hannibal, meaning Alexander the Great, who died in 323 B.C.
‘Who next?’ asked Scipio.
‘Pyrrhus,’ was the answer.
‘Who third?’ then demanded the Roman.
‘Myself,’ answered Hannibal.
‘What should you have said, then,’ asked Scipio, ‘if you had conquered me?’